1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an image forming system, a management apparatus, an image forming apparatus, an information processing method and a computer program, capable of managing a use state for each group or each user.
2. Description of Related Art
In an image forming apparatus such as an MFP (Multi Function Printer) capable of performing a copying process or a printing process, there has been proposed an image forming system that accepts an input of a department ID from an operation panel provided at the image forming apparatus or from a card reader for a magnetic card or the like upon copying to manage the number of copies for each department, and that gives the department ID to print data from a terminal of a user upon printing to manage the number of prints for each department, whereby the number of copies and the number of prints are collectively managed for each department.
Further, a technique has been proposed wherein a department management for the number of copies is performed by key-inputting a department ID to an input unit provided at the image forming apparatus upon copying and a department management for the number of prints is performed by converting a user ID given to the data transmitted from a PC into a department ID by using a user ID-department ID conversion table provided in a print server upon printing (see, for example, Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-123859 (1999)). Moreover, an aggregating server has been proposed that collects data of the number of prints for each department accumulated at each image forming apparatus to perform a collectively management.
However, in a conventional management technique for managing the number of copies and the number of prints with the department ID, the user is required to memorize the department ID and input the department ID before performing the copying process or printing process. Further, in case that the user erroneously memorizes the department ID, there is a case that the number of copies and the number of prints are mistakenly stored into a department different from the department to which the user belongs. Moreover, in case that the user is assigned to another department, it is necessary to register again a department ID of newly assigned department. Furthermore, it is necessary to register a department ID for each image forming apparatus in an environment of plural image forming apparatuses.
Moreover, in the image forming system disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 11-123859 (1999), the department management relating to the printing process is performed with the user ID but the department management relating to the copying process is performed with the conventional department ID, so that the user is still required to memorize the department ID number of the department to which the user belongs, thereby entailing a problem same as that of the conventional technique of managing the number of copies and the number of prints with the department ID.
Additionally, in the aggregating server which collects the data of the number of prints for each department accumulated in each image forming apparatus and performs a collectively management, the totalizing server collects the data of the number of prints for each department, or when the user obtains the aggregation data of the number of prints from the aggregating server for displaying the data of the number of prints, a furtive glance of the data makes it possible to infer which department performs how much printing. Further, the conventional department ID is often allocated by an administrator or the like, therefore the relationship among departments may appear in the manner of allocating the department ID number. For example, in case that “1001” is allocated to the section I in the accounts department as the department ID, “1002” is allocated to the section II in the accounts department as the department ID, whereby the relationship among the departments from the department ID may be inferred. Therefore, it becomes possible to infer which department performs how much printing, thereby entailing a problem that there is a fear of information leakage.